Box-opener.



H. SIMMONS.

BOX OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1911.

Patented Q01 10, 1911.

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HARRY SIMMONS, 0F FOREST LAKE, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PETERSIMMONS, OF FOREST LAKE, MINNESOTA.

- BOX-OPENER.

To all whom may concern:

- Be it known that I, HARRY SIMMONS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Forest Lake, in the county of Washington and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box-Openers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in appliances for removing the topsof boxes, such as baking powder, shoe blacking and kindred boxes, andits objects are: first, to provide a means whereby the cover and boxwill be separated without great efiort on the part of the operator, and,second, to provide a means whereby the opening-device may be adjusted tooperate upon the box without the necessity of placing the cover upon thebox in any particular relative position. I attain these objects by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 isa plan of a box showing the position of the opening device. Fig. 2 is anelevation of the top of a box with the opening device in normal positionand a single offset in the bead around the box upon which the openingelement may act. Fig. 3 is the same showing the bead flattened on theupper surface and the opening element in position to force the box open.Fig. 4. shows the opening element made to act upon opposite sides of thebox. Fig. 5 is a plan of the same with the box partly cut away, and,Fig. 6 shows the opener as applied to shallow boxes.

Similar letters refer to similar 'parts throughout the several views.

This opening device is designed for use upon all ordinary tin boxes suchas are used for packing shoe blacking, baking powder, cocoa, and manyother articles for culinary and other uses, and I have shown it appliedto the top of the box for tall boxes, and to the bottom of the box forshallow boxes to fully illustrate its various uses above mentioned.

A and A represent the cover, B and B, the box, and 5 represents the beadformed in the box below the cover, common in all tin boxes.

The opening element that I have invented for use upon this class ofboxes consists of a spring 0 that is pivotally secured to the radialcenter of the box, as at 0, so that it Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 29, 1911.

Patented Oct. 10, 1911.

Serial No. 617,796.

may be readily turned upon said pivot to any desired radial positionupon the cover of the box as it is practical to only form one short lug,as b, on the box unless it is made purposely for use with this device,and great pains would be necessary to place this lug in proper positionto be readily acted upon by the spring. This spring has the end bentdown at right angles, as at G, to pass down well below the bead b sothat when it is desired to open the box the spring may be raised upward,as in Fig. 3, until the end of the part C will rest on the upper surfaceof the ledge 79, and its tension will force the box and cover apart, asindicated by the dotted lines in this figure.

In Figs. 4t and 5 I have shown the box formed with a head I) made sothat the upper surface will stand practically at right angles with thebody of the box at all points so that the spring may be made to act uponany point on the bead. When made this way the spring may be securelyfastened to the top of the box by a metal strip, as c, passing over itand through openings in the top of the box, and the spring may be soextended that both ends may be made to form the angled projection C tobe made to act upon the bead on opposite sides of the box, though thelast named construction is not an actual necessity to the proper andsatisfactory working of the device. It will be readily understood thatthe portions G of the springs should press firmly toward the box so thatwhen raised up to the position indicated in Fig. 3 they will drop backupon the bead and will retain their position there until the box hasbeen forced open.

When manufacturing boxes expressly for use with these openers I preferthat the bead be made flat on the upper surface, as shown at b in Fig.4, as this can be done as readily when forming the box as can a roundbead, and it does away with the necessity of further expense upon thebox than to simply place the spring 0 upon the cover by either of themeans shown in the drawing, or otherwise.

The description hereinbefore given has borne more especially to openingdevices for use upon tall boxes, as baking powder cans, &c., where it ispreferable to secure the opener to the cap or top of the box, but whenapplying it to shoe blacking boxes, and other very shallow boxes I findit more convenient to secure the opening device or spring 0 to thebottom of the box B, as in Fig. 6, With the resistance lug I) placedupon the edge of the cover A, as at b in Fig. 6. With this manner ofapplying the spring C it is only necessary to form a short lug, 12,though this lug may be made longer if deemed desirable.

WVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is:

1. In combination With a box and its cover, a spring secured to theradial center the lug and press thereon to force the box and coverapart.

2. In combination with the body and cover of a metal box, a springpivotally secured to the body of the box and having the end bent at aright angle to lie parallel with the side of the box, a lug formed onthe cover of the box in position so that the spring may be forced backand the end made to engage the lug and force the cover off of the bodyof the box.

Signed at Forest Lake, Minnesota, March HARRY SIMMONS. In presenceof A.F. WALKER, NADA T. WVALKER.

Copies of this patentma-y be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe"G0mmissioner of Patents, Washington,,D. G.

